History students receive awards at conference

Wednesday, Mar 11, 2009

From Dr. John Maple, chair of the Department of History and Political Science:

I’m very pleased to share with you some good news about the Tau Sigma Chapter of Phi Alpha Theta, the National History Honor Society. Nine students attended the Oklahoma Regional Conference at the University of Central Oklahoma on Friday evening and Saturday, March 6-7. Six of the nine presented scholarly papers, and three of the six won awards. Thus, in competition against students from other universities in the state for seven undergraduate awards, OC students won three of the seven.
Leah Long, senior History major from Lubbock, TX, read her paper, “Martin Luther and Women”, and won first place in the European History, Undergraduate category. Judge Jane Wickersham, a Renaissance and Reformation specialist at OU, said that Leah handled “contradictory primary sources with sensitivity.”
Ben Peterson, sophomore History/Pre-Law major from Austin, TX, took third place in the same category with his paper, “Oliver Cromwell’s Western Design.” Ben wrote the paper last year in the Honors class, Western Thought and Expression since the Renaissance.
Daniel McCormack, senior History and Political Science double major from Franklin, TN, won second place in the American History, Undergraduate category, for his paper, “Defenders of the Faith: Neoconservatives in Reagan’s Central American Policy.” This is Daniel’s third year to win an award in this category.
I am naturally quite pleased with this fine showing, and proud of the outstanding performance of these students.